Elise Smith spent most of 2024 preparing to walk the Overland Track — a 65-kilometre, six-day walk in the central highlands of lutruwita/Tasmania — with her assistance dog Lenny, who provides medical and psychiatric assistance.
There was a strong response online when Elise shared how she was training her dog for the multi-day hike, which she couldn't attempt without him. Many questioned her decision, voicing concerns for the environment and native fauna and questioning if the miniature labradoodle was up for the job.
With approval from Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, and months of careful preparation, the pair finally hit the track accompanied by Elise's dad, Craig in November last year.
Elise shares how everyone fared on the life-changing walk. These are her own words.
Elise's dad Craig helped lead Lenny on the walk. (Supplied: Elise Smith)
On the trail, no-one questioned us
[Lenny wears a vest indicating he is an assistance dog]. Most of the time, I'm used to people coming and asking, 'what's your disability, why do you have this dog, and what does he do for you?'.
But [on the Overland Track] no-one questioned it, they just asked things about Lenny, like what Lenny liked and what Lenny eats.
They made it so easy, and I was so stressed because we got a lot of hate on the internet for wanting to do this.
People were saying Lenny is not the kind of dog that does these hikes, he's a fluffy, tiny, little thing.
Some said it's cruel that I was making him do it and that if I couldn't do it without a dog, I shouldn't do it at all.
But on the walk, we ended up [crossing paths] with 15 beautiful people. [We now have] hundreds of photos of Lenny in other people's laps.
We packed a puffer for Lenny and prepared him well
A friend of mine walked the Overland Track two years ago and it looked awesome.
In January last year I contacted Parks Tasmania and asked, 'is this even a possibility, can I do this?'
They said, technically, yes — but it's going to take work.
So, then we just spent the rest of the year doing all the work.
Essentially, it was making sure Lenny was fit enough to do the trail, which was no problem at all.
Things like ignoring wildlife, being courteous on the trail, getting him used to walking on different surfaces, getting his paws adjusted to walking that long distance and even changing his food to a dehydrated food.
It's not cheap starting the hiking road with an assistance dog, his waterproof and windproof jacket cost nearly the same as mine.
But there are ways around it, if you have a dog that is a double-coated breed, they won't need as many things.
We packed a puffer jacket that he wore at camp and his waterproof and windproof jacket.
He had a special hiking harness with a handle, so we could lift him over things, [and we had] paw balm, and doggy sunscreen to protect his nose.
He had two pairs of shoes, a light pair, and durable, waterproof shoes. He also had a light-up collar.
I carried somewhere between 2.5-3 kilograms [of supplies] for Lenny, which was mostly food.
We packed twice the amount of food he normally eats, because he was going to be walking so much, but he didn't need it, he ate a normal amount.
Elise packed all-weather gear for herself and Lenny. (Supplied: Elise Smith)
I loved every minute of it
It was amazing, honestly, it's something I never would have dreamed of doing before I had Lenny.
Even when everything [in my body] was burning, because I'm carrying a heavy pack and I'm getting rained and snowed on, I loved every minute of it.
Lenny pretty much thought we were just going for a big walk. He wasn't even remotely tired.
When we got to the camping hut each night, all he wanted to do was run around and play.
Having Lenny has given me so much more freedom, and being out in the wilderness is so good for your mental health, so it's a double whammy when you get the dog, and you get to go hike again.
I've had a lot of people reach out on social media telling me they love being outside but it's not feasible on their own and a dog would be perfect.
My dad accompanied us on the walk too, he's an absolute legend.
I started the walk quite sick, but I wasn't going to let that stop me, so Dad pretty much ended up holding the lead for Lenny the whole track.
He'd lift Lenny over every puddle because he wasn't willing to let him go through it.
Dad's not really a hiker, he just did it because I wanted to do it, he'd do absolutely anything for me.
I'm very lucky to have him.
Elise, Lenny and Craig several days into the Overland Track. (Supplied: Elise Smith)
Source: ABC